BOOK TWO: RAIN OF FIRE

Yellowstone scientists have written that they cannot know if there would be adequate warning of another caldera eruption after the ones at 2.1 m.y., 1.3 m.y., and 640,000 years.

This book is dedicated to the men and women who have devoted their lives, and risked them to study the deadly potential of modern volcanoes.

ISBN: 978-63292-116-1
December 2019

2005 WILLA Literary Award

The WILLA Literary awards are given each year by Women Writing the West, to honor outstanding stories about women that are set in the west. The judges are a distinguished panel of professional librarians.

2007 Zia Award finalist - from New Mexico Press Women

For the inspiration for this follow-up book to Summer of Fire, I am particularly indebted to Robert Smith, one of the foremost experts on Yellowstone and its unstable terrain, and his Utah Seismic Stations at the University of Utah. While none of my characters represent anyone in Salt Lake, I have freely based my Utah Seismic Institute on this fine institution. I especially appreciate scientist Fabia Terra, took the time to give me a tour of their facility.

Finalist in the General Fiction Category of the Foreword Magazine Indiefab Books Awards, 2016

Winner of the Action/Adventure (Fiction) category in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Forward from Rain of Fire

We can only guess whether the geologic warnings would be adequate to prompt the evacuation of Yellowstone and surrounding areas and towns to prevent the instantaneous loss of thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of lives.

Devastation would be complete and incomprehensible at the caldera. Imagine Yellowstone Park and everything in it destroyed. Every road, every lodge, every campground, every visitor center, every geyser and scenic feature would either be blown instantly off the face of the Earth or swallowed as the floor of the caldera sank downward during the eruption . . .

We can only speculate on the disaster that society would face during a Yellowstone caldera eruption. As unlikely as such gargantuan explosions seem in our lifetimes, they have happened before and will occur again.

From WINDOWS INTO THE EARTH: THE GEOLOGIC STORY OF YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARKS by Robert B. Smith and Lee J. Siegal, copyright 2000 by Robert B. Smith and Lee J. Siegal. Used by permission of Oxford University Press.

The Story

The world's largest volcano does not reside beneath Hawaii's mountains, or in Washington state, but Yellowstone National Park. Past eruptions have darkened our continent and covered it with a blanket of ash that smothered both plant and animal life. Now the supervolcano, with its earthquakes and geysers, is monitored on a daily basis for signs of the beast reawakening.

As a terrified child, geologist Kyle Stone watched her family die in the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake near Yellowstone. Fighting a lifetime of fears, she is one of the scientists with a finger on Yellowstone's pulse. When a new hot spring appears overnight in the park and a noted naturalist is scalded to death, Kyle mounts an expedition into the Yellowstone backcountry to unravel the mystery. Accompanying her are Ranger Wyatt Ellison, former student and friend, and Dr. Nicholas Darden, volcanologist and former lover. More than just a volcano is heating up.

Amid personal conflict, earthquakes uprooting the land, and poison gases killing wildlife, Kyle finds herself in the unenviable position of convincing park officials to evacuate Yellowstone before tens of thousands of people die. As the earth shudders, Kyle must also choose between past and present, and defeat her darkest terror simply to survive.

As my own geological experiences with volcanoes have been on those that are dormant, I must thank the following sources for providing insight into what it's like to see Hawaiian lava at night, or Mount St. Helens, Galeras, or Pinatubo by day:

I also thank the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado and Marcos Alvarez of the IRIS/PASSCAL Instrument Lab in Socorro, NM, for information on seismic equipment and the life, Patrick Matheny, Yellowstone National Park Naturalist, for the wonderful snow coach tour, and Dr. Lee Whittlesley, of the Yellowstone archives, for showing me around on my several visits there. My primary consultant on helicopters is Michael Harvey, an oil industry entrepreneur, who served two Vietnam tours as a front line Huey pilot. In addition, Robert (Dick) Vaughan, noted author and another chopper veteran, provided insight as to aircraft terminology.

What they're saying

"A thrilling vision of what could take place tomorrow" - Robert Vaughan, N.Y. Times Bestselling Author who has published more than 250 novels.

"In Rain of Fire, Linda Jacobs has created a thrilling vision of what it's like to be in the crater of an active volcano. Based on fact, the book details the signs, warnings, and the eruption that could take place in Yellowstone - tomorrow. Fast-paced, yet with touchingly human characters, Rain of Fire is a page-turner of the first magnitude."

"With Rain of Fire, Linda Jacobs is in the zone. The book is a grabber for sure - I could hardly put it down. Jacobs has a gift for weaving story and reality, taking the improbable and moving it to the realm of the possible. Superb storytelling and her grasp of Yellowstone detail is uncanny."

Romance Reviews Today,
Connie Ruebusch - A Perfect 10

"RAIN OF FIRE is beautifully written with exceptional plot momentum and well developed characters. Kyle, Wyatt, and Nick are strong and capable, yet each exhibits such a touching vulnerability that the reader is privileged to see the vast possibilities not only in nature but also in life. Every character, primary and secondary, is well rounded and thought out.

As the second book of the Yellowstone series, RAIN OF FIRE includes recurring characters from SUMMER OF FIRE, but is definitely a book that stands entirely on its own."

Harriet Klausner -- 10/10 Value, 8/10 overall rating, recommended

"RAIN OF FIRE by Linda Jacobs is exciting, poignant and puts you on the edge of your seat which is why it is my honor to award RAIN OF FIRE a Perfect 10. Run out and pick up your copy of RAIN OF FIRE and SUMMER OF FIRE today, you won't be disappointed."

Romantic Times BOOKreviews June 2006 - FOUR STARS

"RAIN OF FIRE is an exciting thriller that grips the audience with the tremors that threaten Yellowstone at a time when there seems to be an increase of major natural disasters. The story line is action-packed, warning people about the potential of natural disaster in a place where most people fail to realize the danger."

Sheri Melnick

"Jacobs masterfully combines scientific knowledge and suspense as expert scientists unite to predict the sometimes inexplicable forces of nature. The addition of the tension-filled romance between Kyle and Wyatt adds a human element to this swiftly moving, captivating read."